The Reformation

by Cameron Mackenzie

The Reformation provides a richly illustrated and engagingly written overview of the amazing time of change and renewal in the Christian Church during the 16th century and helps the reader sort through the complex chain of events that shook both church and state to their very foundations.

The historical photos and facts bear witness to the earth-changing events and players in the "theological century" - including the famous Martin Luther and Henry VIII, but also encompassing the other fascinating and perhaps lesser-known personalities of the Reformation era. This book, celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, is designed to be prominently featured on a coffee table or bookshelf as a conversation starter.

Genres: History

224 pages, Hardcover

Published October 17, 2017

Reviews

[Matthew Spence · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was gifted this book by a family member and probably would not have read it otherwise. I much preferred reading the historical side of The Reformation as opposed to the numerous pages detailing differing opinions over the sacrament, iconography, the Host, etc. Writing about history is difficult in that it can be hard for authors to not sound similar to a Wikipedia page detailing every important date, figure, and event with little narrative connecting the events. I think Cameron mostly failed in rising above that sort of Encyclopedic style in that the recounting of events at times felt spurious, cumbersome, and chaotic. For instance, the author includes many images in the book and each includes a large paragraph or two in much smaller text than the rest of the book. The book just had this overwhelming sense of needing to fill every empty space so that the entire thing is this wall of text and images. Maybe its just me but those blank spots in books are the things that get me motivated to keep moving. The matter is made worse by the tight binding that made the book somewhat of a challenge to read since you had to grip it so tightly to read the middle part at the book's spine.

My own biases also led me to enjoy certain elements of the history more than others. Specifically, the accounting of King Henry VIII, Francis I, and Queen Elizabeth I were a joy to read as compared to the detailing the lives of Martin Luther, Zwingli, and John Calvin. It is not that the Reformation is boring in comparison to the clash of nations. The Reformation reminded me a lot of The French Revolution where you have this populist movement trying to reorient power away from tyrannical and corrupt rule but in both instances it led to infighting as the reformation/revolution movement became divided over arguments about whose version of truth was accurate which led to bloodshed. Its chilling and dark yet Mackenzie's vapid description of it all that jumps between dates, players, and countries made it hard to follow and thus a chore to read.

I am glad to have red the book, I do feel that I am better informed now then before, however, the experience of reading it was a bit all over the place and I'm not sure if I just feel relieved to be done with it. I'm not sure I would even recommend this book to someone wanting to learn about the Reformation given how sporadic its focus and underwhelming its conclusion. Typically in historical novels they have extensive conclusions detailing major events and offering a sort of thesis narrative to give meaning to it all. That was entirely absent here save for one page where Mackenzie essentially justified why he stopped where he did as if he was out of steam rather than finishing the description of such an important period in human history.

[Scott Klemm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cameron MacKenzie’s The Reformation was published in 2017 to coincide with the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. One might expect this to be a work primarily centering on the life of Martin Luther. However, it is much broader in scope. Not only does the book cover later reformers such as Zwingli, Calvin, and Knox, but also the Catholic Counter-Reformation. All of which is covered in a fair, non-polemic manner. In addition to the major players mentioned above, many less famous personalities are covered such as Robert Estienne (1503-59), a French printer who was the first to use the verse-numbering system common in today’s Bibles. (Admittedly, I had never heard of him before.) Since secular rulers often determined which faith was allowed in their territory, coverage has also been given to various Holy Roman emperors, the English King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots.

I found getting through the book’s text a bit slow-going. This was not due to it being boring. It was quite the opposite. MacKenzie has an engaging, easy-to-read writing style, and occasionally even a hint of humor. But, because of the many excellent illustrations, I didn’t want to get too far ahead before going back to examine each picture and reading its caption.

My only criticism has to do with the way it was published. I wish an index had been included. When I decided to use Robert Estienne as an example of one of the more interesting of the lesser known Reformation players, it took quite a bit of searching. By the time I finished the book, I didn’t remember at what spot I read about him. I also found it difficult reading portions of print near the center where the book was tightly bound. Generally, four columns were used on each page. Curvature at those columns near the center sometimes made reading a little difficult. However, I want to judge this book on its content rather than externals, so I have given it an excellent rating.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey, it’s the 500th anniversary of the reformation, so let’s get a book and read about it. Published from Concordia Publishing House this book is an amazing repository of facts, pictures, maps and detailed character studies of the battle that occurred for the heart of the Christian church. Fascinating, interesting reading made even better by the many, many pictures in the book that provide context and color. Very highly recommended.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a splendid book as an overview of the Reformation period. Writing from a Lutheran perspective, Mackenzie is yet evenhanded in his treatment of the various groups arising from the Reformation (with the exception of the Mennonites/Anabaptists, who are briefly mentioned but mostly overlooked here). Lavishly illustrated with plates of paintings from the era, it's a worthy addition to my family library.